PINE BUSH – Once again, the Pine Bush Odyssey of the Mind teams ruled the roost at the New York State Championships, competing against 240 other teams.

Every Pine Bush team finished in the top ten, and the students from Circleville Middle School are State Champions. The structure team put a mindboggling 1026.5 pounds on their 18 gram balsa-wood-and-glue structure. That, along with excellent problem solving during the "spontaneous" on-the-spot part of the competition, sealed victory for them. They came first in a field of 17 teams and are going to the World Finals, being held from May 27 to May 30 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Crispell Middle School came second in the state and qualified for the World Finals by being recognized with the Runatra Fusca Award. That award is given to recognize exceptional creativity, and the Crispell team's work on its sets was the factor that won it. They competed against 17 other teams in their grouping.

Other Pine Bush teams to note included the Pine Bush High School team that came third in the vehicle problem, and Pine Bush Elementary that came fourth in their section on the structural problem. They put 571 pounds on their own balsa-wood-and-glue structure.

Also in attendance was a large contingent of Pine Bush fans, who made the trip to Binghamton for the competition. Visible among the fans were several administrators, including Aaron Hopmeyer, Joan Carbone, Ralph LaRocca, and Sherri Primeaux.

In addition to success at the regular competition, Pine Bush took three of the five OMER awards given this year for exemplifying the spirit of Odyssey of the Mind. Pine Bush High School, Hannah Greve, and Jim McIntyre were all honored with these awards.

The teams now turn their creativity towards fundraising for their trip to World Finals. The teams need to raise nearly $15,000 for the trip to Iowa State University. If anyone would like to help out with a donation or with ideas for fundraising, they can contact Jim McIntyre at 744-2031 or at jmcintyre@pinebushschools.org.

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